The 45th Annual Chancellor's Council Meeting and Symposium

On May 4, I had the great honor of hosting The 45th Annual Chancellor’s Council Meeting and Symposium. The theme of this year’s meeting was ROI – return on investment. More than 700 Chancellor’s Council members gathered in Austin for a Symposium featuring five extraordinary UT alumni who personified the immeasurable ROI at UT institutions.

We met the CEO of Hanson Robotics and UT Dallas alumnus, David Hanson, who builds robots that mimic human expression and emotion.

Legendary ABC anchor and Texas Western College (now UT El Paso) graduate Sam Donaldson shared riveting accounts of growing up in El Paso and his journey to becoming a news anchor on Capitol Hill.

Chief of the Center for Cardiac Support at Texas Heart Institute and UT Austin alumnus, Bud Frazier, M.D. revealed his research that led to the creation of the beatless heart and other assist devices that have saved countless lives.

Astronaut and flight surgeon Serena Auñón, M.D., took us through her days as a medical student at UT Health Science Center at Houston and resident at UT Medical Branch at Galveston and recounted her ascendancy to NASA.

UT Austin alumnus and military hero, Admiral William H. McRaven, captivated the crowd as he responded to moderator Evan Smith’s questions about missions of the Joint Special Operations Command, including the one that led to the destruction of Osama bin Laden.

And to end the outstanding program, the UT Austin Trombone Choir played a song dear to many of our Chancellor’s Council members – “The Eyes of Texas.”

The continued dedication from our friends and supporters generate outstanding alumni like these at our UT institutions. They truly exemplify a strong return on investment. And you, as our greatest supporters, have created similar opportunities for countless other students. We are profoundly grateful to you.